A rabbit dumped beside bins on collection day has laid bare a post-Easter surge in abandoned bunnies.

Lock Stock Self Storage stepped in to help after hearing that Rabbit Rescue North West, which operates in Cheshire, Manchester, Derbyshire and Lancashire, is overwhelmed with unwanted rabbits after Easter.

Five-year-old Laurie was in a sorry state when he was found in an alleyway in a tiny cage next to the trash on bin day.

According to the rescue charity, the aftermath of Easter is now one of their busiest and most challenging periods as the novelty of owning fluffy pet rabbits wears off.

Lock Stock, which is expanding across the North West, is supporting the charity in its work to find new homes for the rabbits through donations of feed, bedding, blankets and toys.

Site manager Richard Warner praised Rabbit Rescue North West for its work in the region.

He said: “Rabbit Rescue North West does tremendous and important work in the communities we operate in.

“Any animal lover would be desperately sad to hear rabbits are dumped and abandoned throughout the year and especially after Easter and Christmas.

“As a company, we are pleased to be able to play our part in supporting the work of Jess and the team at the charity.

“They are all volunteers, and we are full of admiration for how they give love and care to abandoned rabbits until they can be found new, safe and loving homes.”

Lock Stock Self Storage donation to Rabbit Rescue North West; Laurie the rescued Rabbit. Picture Mandy Jones

Jess Wood, chair of trustees at Rabbit Rescue North West, thanked Lock Stock for its support.

She said: “The donation from Lock Stock will make a massive difference to the rabbits in our care.

“It will be shared out between all of the rabbits which are currently in our care at the rescue.

“One of our biggest expenses is our vet bills, which on average is about £20,000 a year, so any support is really appreciated.

“There is a huge crisis in terms of people buying rabbits then dumping them, especially after Easter, and also after Christmas, believe it or not.

“After Easter, all rescues are just completely overwhelmed because people will go and buy them as Easter gifts, or go and buy them as gifts for children, then the novelty wears off or people don’t realise how much care they need and how much that costs.

“So sadly, they become dumped or unwanted after Easter and we currently have 42 rabbits in our care.

“My biggest message would be ‘adopt, and don’t shop’ and rabbits are not for Easter.

“The other day, in just one day, we had 21 requests from people wanting to surrender their rabbits.

“People will go out to buy them as gifts for their children thinking they are easy pets and realise they are not, or the children lose interest, and they tend to get abandoned or the rescues are asked to pick up the pieces.

“Rabbits need to be vaccinated every year which on average is about £60 to £80, they need to be neutered, and they need space and companionship and enrichment.”

Lock Stock Self Storage donation to Rabbit Rescue North West; Richard Warner of Lock Stock with Laurie the rescued Rabbit . Picture Mandy Jones

Jess, who lives in Leyland, said the volunteers are alerted to dumped or unwanted rabbits through social media messages.

She said: “People in the community as well will find them dumped and will contact us to ask if we have space to take them in.”

Jess currently has three foster rabbits, and two pet rabbits, which were both initially rescue rabbits.

Laurie, a lion head rabbit, was discovered in a particularly terrible condition.

Jess added “He was left beside all these bins in Nelson, East Lancashire, in an alleyway ready to be collected.

“A member of the public contacted us to say he had been put out with the trash.

“When he came in he was full of faeces underneath and what the vet thinks was a broken leg, which had not been treated properly and had healed badly.

“He had a really bad mite infestation as well, and was severely underweight.

“When we took him to the vets they said it was kind of touch and go whether he would make it.

“He was cleaned up at the vets, he has had pain relief, he’s had antibiotics, and he’s still on the road to recovery, but he’s getting there.

“He needs to be neutered and vaccinated yet and hopefully we will be able to rehome him.

“We have 15 volunteers and we have currently got foster carers in the Stockport area, Greater Manchester, Bolton, over this way in Lancashire, Hyde.

“The whole of the rescue is run by volunteers, none of us take any money from the rescue, we don’t even take travel expenses.

“We are always looking for more volunteers.

“If people are interested, then please do contact us at rabbitrescuenw@yahoo.co.uk“.

Jess emphasized the charity carried out checks to make sure the homes the rabbits were being sent to were suitable.

To find out more about Rabbit Rescue North West click here.